The Life and Tragic Death of Adrienne Shelly Examined in New HBO Documentary (Review)
There was a moment in the early 90s when it looked like actress Adrienne Shelly would become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
She burst onto the scene with extraordinary leading roles in two independent films by Hal Hartley. 1989's "The Unbelievable Truth" and 1990's "Trust" were wildly unique and quirky comedies that became minor hits on the arthouse circuit and ended up finding larger audiences thanks to home video.
As an actor, she was struggling by the late 90s to be cast in the kinds of movies she was really passionate, so she started to make her own. A 1997 feature called "Sudden Manhattan" is nearly impossible to track down these days, but she made a much bigger splash with what turned out to be her final film.
Shelly wrote and directed the 2007 feature "Waitre...